Centrino 2 laptops are coming

There was complete silence from Fujitsu-Siemens about their laptop developments for quite a while, but it turns out that all is well: Their selection was reworked, the Esprimo Mobile line completely redesigned and both product lines were fitted with the Centrino 2 platform from Intel.

Reviews so far are quite convincing: The new Fujitsu-Siemens devices are fast, stable work machines with long warranties. The new Lifebook S7220 also fills a gap in the market; it’s a lightweight 2.2 kg workhorse, something like Lenovo’s T-series, which Lenovo unfortunately no longer really makes.

We’re looking forward to the new models:

Lifebook E8420, very high performance and, if you order the optional nVidia 9300GM, there’s even the possibility of gaming and 3D editing

Lifebook S6420, only 1.7 kg, yet ships with a built-in DVD burner and the fastest available Core 2 Duo processors. Something for workoholics who spend a lot of time on many business trips

The Esprimo Mobile series contains quite similar machines, although they are usually heavier — which also makes them cheaper. The U9210 is a 12 inch model, but weighs a heavy 1.9 kg. The M9410 is a 14 inch model that’s similar to the S7220, D9510 is the same in 15 inches (and even heavier) and finally we have the X9525, positioning itself somewhere between D9510 and Lifebook E8420.

Linux compatibility should be fine starting from kernel 2.6.27. Lincomp sells these machines starting in November, without any operating systems preinstalled, because you know what operating system you want to use. This way, you don’t pay for software you don’t need.